Whether it’s a stack of pancakes, a regional specialty such as ribs, or the ubiquitous hamburger, flying for food makes a sightseeing trip into something special. Not just everybody at the airport diner will have taxied up, parked, and climbed out of an airplane—but you did.
Regional delicacies
Some unusual $100 meals
Steamed crabs. In the summertime, pilots along the East Coast will head to airports near restaurants where they can pick apart freshly steamed blue crabs. A decline in the Chesapeake Bay’s crab population in 2014 put prices at more than $75 a dozen for jumbos, so the phrase “$100 hamburger” might have to be upgraded a bit.
BBQ (or barbeque). All right, so BBQ isn’t that unusual, depending on where you live. Stanton’s BBQ and Fish Camp in Bennettsville, South Carolina, has its own 2,300-foot turf runway. The Pik-n-Pig in Carthage, North Carolina, has a paved 2,538-foot runway (5NC3).
Lobster. Whether you prefer them steamed or in a buttered roll, choose an airport in Maine for a lobster lunch. Pilots who participated in 2012’s Maine Flying Trail were awarded two lobsters for landing at five of 10 participating airports.
Steak. It’s simple to find steak, but not so simple to find a restaurant that not only serves grain-fed beef from its own ranch but also has its own runway (and an inn with 153 guest rooms). Harris Ranch is that place. Located in Coalinga, California, Harris Ranch has a paved 2,800-foot lighted runway with self-serve 100LL.
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